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 Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2022 5:22 pm
(Cloud)
“Orientation day” Cloud thought
She watched new faces pass her by with their heads partially obscured by the campus map. They traveled the main pathways that stretched the length of the campus. They walked shoulder to shoulder in both directions in an unending train.
She and others like her who knew the campus well stood off to the side on the winding paths. The higher grades were lazing about unconcerned. They talked amongst themselves or traveled peacefully to campus shops.
Cloud was sitting alone on a patch of grass beneath one of the many trees. As it got closer to class time the numbers dwindled. The older students moseyed away. She remained alone.
(LunarHybrid)
Maya was speed walking between two buildings, realizing as she entered a court yard that there was hardly anyone around, meaning they were probably all in class. Looking down at her map again, she managed to bump head first into a tree still going full speed, her map ripping nearly in two.
“Where the ******** did you come from?” She asked the tree before looking around and realizing there was someone leaning against it. “Oh, sorry, that question was at the tree.” Her face had turned red. “Do you know where the sleep study center is?” She asked. “I swear this map doesn’t want me to be to class on time on my first day.”
(Cloud)
Cloud stared blankly at the young lady for a few awkward seconds. She hadn’t seen someone run into a tree before. It wasn’t unusual for someone to be severely lost though. The campus was like its own small town.
“What is the building name and the classroom number?” Cloud asked politely
She offered a weird smile, trying not to be frightening. When the answer didn’t come immediately she took the students schedule out of her hand. She scanned it quickly and started to walk away. She had gone a few feet and then tilted her head for the new girl to follow.
They walked between many different buildings, the winding paths making no sense. Cloud stopped outside a building and pointed to the building name and its number.
“Inside” she said simply “second floor since your class has a two” There were a few others who were arriving a tad late, being led by helpful upperclassmen. When the escorts spotted cloud they halted in their steps. One student in particular formed a rather nasty scowl on his face, while the others crossed their arms.
Cloud stared back for a few before leaving without a word. The others approached Maya quickly.
“Are you hurt?” one asked
“Don’t go near that monster” The scowling one spat
(LunarHybrid)
Maya looked around as the door closed behind Cloud. “What, what monster?” She asked, partially expecting to see a monster before realizing they were talking about the girl who vanished. The one who asked if she was hurt was still eyeing her. “I’m fine…” Maya clung to her things in her arms as she tried stepping around the two.
“Consider yourself lucky.” The one with the scowl sneered as they turned the opposite direction down the hallway. Maya let out a sigh as a door next to her opened.
“Alright guys, across the hall to the sleep lab.” A tall thin man in his early 40s held the door open in the hallway as Maya walked up to him.
“Is this the intro to sleep study class?” Maya asked. The man looked down at her as his glasses slid to the tip of his nose with a small nod of the head before handing her a syllabus packet and gestured at the unorganized mob of students heading from one side of the hallway where lectures were held, to the other side of the hall where the sleep lab was. She followed the last of her classmates into the lab while reading over the syllabus.
“I’m Lanna, you can copy my notes from today if I can copy yours down the road.” A girl hip bumped Maya as she stood in the back of the group in the observation room of the sleep lab. Maya side eyed the overly friendly Lanna as they listened to the basics of the tech. “What’s your name and thing?” She whispered while taking notes.
“I’m Maya.” She replied. “If by thing you mean my “curse”, I lucid dream, astral project, have premonitions and can make people see and feel things when I touch them.”
Lanna side stepped with a smirk. “Right on!” A few other students shushed her as the teacher reminded everyone to pay attention. Class ended shortly after.
(Cloud)
The scowling student reappeared as everyone began entering the hallways.
“I can help you find your other classes” he said “I’m a Junior so I know my way around. I can also tell you to keep away from her and don’t go anywhere near the garden”
He pointed to a large circle on the right side of the map.
(LunarHybrid)
“The girl who helped me?” Maya asked, emphasizing the word ‘helped’. “Unfortunately I’m in gardening club later and have no one to help protect me.” She said sarcastically.
“Whatever, you're a Jedi Master.” Lanna laughed as she linked her arm with Maya. Maya almost pulled away but decided to let her help her escape from the junior with the scowl. “Come have lunch with me and tell me what that was all about, unless you have another class.” Maya shook her head with a smirk as they exited the building. “What was he saying about a garden?” Maya pointed at the spot he had pointed at.
(Cloud)
The two girls went searching for the circle on the map.
“He didn’t say why we should stay away” Lanna said bouncing a little
They both froze as they came upon an archway buried in many colored flowers. The room beyond it was flooded with natural light. You could see a perfectly paved walkway and on both sides were flowerbeds. A sweet smell came drifting to them.
“Should we?” asked lanna
“I don’t see any danger signs or keep out warnings” Maya said “maybe its just a prank. He’s just trying to be a scary jerk”
They went slowly through the archway hardly daring to breathe. They turned their heads every which way and saw nothing but manicured flower beds. Each was filled with a different kind of flower. The deeper they ventured the more wild things became. The flower beds disappeared in favor of open fields. After each arch they passed beneath they seemed to find themselves transported somewhere new.
They came upon a tree that towered over everything. Its branches seemed to stretch on forever and hanging from them were long swaying vines. On the vines were many leaves hiding much of the trunk from view. A soft song drifted to their ears.
High up in the tree Cloud was stretched out on a branch. Her one white wing hung down moving gently with the leaves.
(LunarHybrid)
“Hey,” Lanna whispered to Maya. “Try your Jedi Mind trick on her.” She pointed up.
“I think I have to touch the person.” Maya whispered back. “Plus she helped me earlier, that guy who told us about the garden was warning me about her. Maybe we should avoid her? She is missing a wing after all.”
“What if you only have to touch a piece of someone?” Lana asked as Maya looked at her confused. Lana held up a feather that seemed to match the color and texture of Cloud’s wing. Maya took the wing and wondered if it would do anything, but she didn’t want to harm the girl who helped her to class, so she held on tight to the feather and thought of Cloud floating along the top of water.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 8:03 pm
Trent tried to drown out the noise that surrounded him in the sleep study class. Lucky, an upper classman was able to guide him there. He didn’t know anyone in class, or at the school; his only friend was in a different class at this time. He tried to focus on the introduction from the teacher as the two girls next to him whispered about what their powers were. He vaguely caught word about one of them being able to lucid dream. He shifted his focus back to the teacher but class seemed to be over just minutes later.
Trent looked at his schedule, he had a break for the next period. He guessed he would use the time to wander around the campus more and try and find his classes. On his way, he ran into the upper classman that assisted him earlier. He was sitting on a bench outside one of the school buildings, seemingly people watching. Trent approached.
“Hey, thanks again for helping me earlier. Didn’t think I was going to make class on time.”
The upper classman looked back up at Trent. “Don’t mention it. You looked pretty lost so I thought I’d help.” He extended his hand. “James. Nice to meet you.”
Trent returned the handshake. “Trent. So….what’s it like here? I wasn’t told anything about this school other than it is for people like me.”
James stood up. “Honestly, it is pretty normal. Just like school except people here can do different things. Normal classes and classes to help you try and figure out how to control your special….whatever it is you can do. Not sure what else to say. What’s your thing?”
Trent assumed he meant his ability. It took a second for him to register what James meant. He took a deep breath and held it. As he did, his feet left the ground. Trent floated about a foot off of the sidewalk for a few seconds before exhaling and landing. “I can only do it when I hold my breath. There’s a coupe of other things, but I can’t really explain them. What about you?”
James nodded in approval. A simple “Neat” escaped him as he took out a butterfly knife from his pocket and flipped it open. Trent instinctively moved backwards, away from James.
“Relax, it isn’t for you.” James said laughing, but reassuringly. He held out his wrist and slid the blade along it, slicing it open. A bit of blood ran down his arm, but the wound immediately healed up. No scars or marks were left. As if it never happened. He wiped off the leftover blood with his hand and put the knife away. James looked at Trent, laughing again at the shocked expression on his face. “You’ll get used to seeing what others can do.” He looked at his phone, which was now playing an alarm sound. “Sorry to cut this short, but I gotta run. Have to take care of something before my next class. See ya around campus.” James took off hastily in the other direction.
There was still a bit of time before Trent’s next class. He wandered around some more, exploring the campus after finding his classes. His curiosity led him to the large circle on the map. An archway entrance to a beautiful flower garden. Different types of flowers and other plants lined the walkway, an enchanting setting like something out of a movie. In the center, a massive tree surrounded by more plants and flowers. Such a sight hidden by school buildings from the campus. Trent marveled at the sight when he noticed someone high up in the branches.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 8:34 pm
Cloud felt a little different for a moment. It was like she left the branch and was more weightless. It lasted only a few seconds. She looked at her legs and then glanced down. The girl from earlier was there along with another. She was holding something in her hand.
She tilted to the side a bit and spotted someone else coming along the path. She dropped down to the next branch to make herself more visible.
"Hello" she said
Cloud lay down on her stomach along the branch. Her wing folded up along her back hiding her legs and feet.
"No class?" she asked "You make friends?"
She pointed to the girl and now the young man who'd reached them.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 8:58 pm
Maya looked over at the newest arrival to the garden. He seemed familiar but she couldn't place from where. "Oh, you're in our sleep study class." Lana's voice boomed as her attention shifted along with Cloud and Maya's gaze.
"I guess I did?" Maya answered Cloud, fidgeting awkwardly with Cloud's stray feather before dropping it. "Are you a new student here too?" She asked the new guy.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 9:10 pm
Trent looked at all three of the students waiting for him to answer. He could be pretty shy at times, now being one of them. For some reason he had found it easy to introduce himself to James, but now it seemed difficult with more than one person.
“Hi…ummmm……new yes.” He struggled to put words together to form a sentence. He then recognized the two girls from class that he stood next to. “Sleep study, yes. Trent. From sleep study. I am.” The more he tried to talk, the worse it got. His face was a bright shade of red now as he looked down at his map, struggling to continue the conversation. He looked up at Cloud after a bit, not recognizing her, but noticing her wing. “You fly?”
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 9:20 pm
Lana nudged Maya toward Trent, then gave a glance implying "use your ability to help calm him". Maya turned toward him and reached out a hand. "Don't mind me." She whispered, not wanting to make him more embarrassed but knowing she could ease his discomfort him some way. Her hand rested on his upper arm as she thought of calming him in the situation.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 9:32 pm
Cloud spread her wing out to its full length and gave it a gentle flap. The wind waved their hair a little and cooled them.
"Use to" she said "Only one left. Other was taken"
She watched as Maya touched Trents arm. He began to calm down just a little.
"You changed him" Cloud said "Your power?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 9:46 pm
Trent instantly felt calmer when Maya touched him. He couldn’t explain it other than everything seemed to just feel more relaxed. “Thank you” he said looking at Maya, partially confused, but more thankful. His face was back to normal and he was no longer fumbling over his words. “You can make people calm? Or change how they feel?” He asked.
Trent looked up at Cloud. “I’m sorry your wing was taken.” He didn’t want to ask any further, to not bring up anything possibly hurtful when first meeting someone new. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you all. I was just kind of wandering around and ended up here.”
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 9:56 pm
"She's a Jedi Master!" Lana blurted. Maya just shook her head.
"No, I can make people feel a certain way, good or bad, or see things when I touch them. I've been able to do it while lucid dreaming and astral projecting before too." Maya was trying not to giggle. "Or apparently touch a part of them." She glanced at the feather then Cloud's wing.
"Which means your power is flight." Lana glanced at Cloud. "And you?" She nodded at Trent.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 10:02 pm
"Long time ago" Cloud smiled briefly "Gardens for everyone"
She rolled off the branch and landed on her feet at the base of the tree. She brushed her shirt off a little. It was far too big for her and meant for a man. Her jeans were baggy too but fit her waist. She had no shoes on.
"Nobody comes though" she admitted "scared or angry at me"
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 10:16 pm
Trent laughed at Maya being a Jedi Master. He held his breath and flew up to the branch where Cloud was sitting originally. “Also flight. And a couple other things that I can’t really explain.” He said as he sat on the branch. He listened to Cloud as she explained why no one visited the garden. “You don’t seem scary. Don’t know why they would be mad either. Is this normally where you hang out? I’ll visit you.” He said simply, his legs dangling and swinging from the branch. He still didn’t want to ask more details about anything that would bring about bad feelings.
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 10:23 pm
Cloud watched him go up over her head and land.
"Use to be" she admitted "I've killed"
She put her hand up and wind moved Trent up off the branch and spun him slowly in one circle before putting him back down.
"Control wind well" she told Lana
Cloud looked back up toward Trent.
"Was" she paused for a moment thinking hard "A bad person. Yes I live here often"
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 10:42 pm
Maya was just about to touch Lana when she vanished. "Lana?" She called out.
"I'm here, just give me a minute." Lana's voice sounded nervous. She slowly faded back into visibility, obviously taking deep breaths. "Sorry, I go invisible either by will or when startled." She glanced over at Cloud. "Don't take it personal, that info is just alarming. I'm gunna get some food, I'll see you guys later." She turned and left the garden, her body still slightly translucent in patches. Maya had tried reaching out to her but Lana avoided her touch.
"I'm sure most of us with abilities have 'accidents' in our past." Maya stated. "What do you mean you live here?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 10:58 pm
Trent was amazed when Cloud was able to move him from the branch with wind, giving a big smile when she sat him back on the branch. He remembered what James told him earlier, he didn’t think he would get used to everything that everyone was able to do so easily. He listened to what Cloud said and was a bit startled by her story, but remained calm on the tree branch. He thought about it briefly; Cloud didn’t give him any “bad person” vibes. She hadn’t given him a reason to be afraid other than stating what she did in the past. He watched as Lana left hastily.
“Yeah. You don’t seem like a bad person. I’ll still come and visit. Do you have any classes here?” He figured that she could possibly have a class with him. Or at least do something around campus other than hang around the garden.
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Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2022 8:07 pm
Cloud didn't give Lana much thought as she left. She tilted her head a little with a puzzled look.
"Accident?" she asked
"Um, doing something without meaning to" Maya explained
"Meant to" Cloud said honestly "ordered to. Was a bad person"
She twiddled her thumbs a little while staring.
"This is where I am almost always. I like it here best. Live here"
Cloud sat down at the base of the tree and put her arms behind her head. It almost looked like the tree was cradling her.
"No classes for me" she told Trent "I made the garden to pass time. Alone all the time"
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